Grandad

Well that happened faster than I was expecting the brakes system and new lines are all in bled and good to go and a new clutch line to match. Challenge now is to find a rubber boot to seal off the hole left in the firewall where push rod connects the pedal to the master cylinders need to keep noise fumes and excess heat out of the cabin.

Hi All The car left home again today to have the twin master cylinder setup installed including a bias adjuster, new custom brake lines manufactured fitted and system bled, should be back next week. While I was out I called in to see Will and collect the rear light plastics that he magically restored after I destroyed them by stupidly using paint stripper on them (I'm way old enough to know better) we were going to replace them but when we couldn't find any others that were better we had to go with these and you simply can't tell that there was ever anything wrong with them. Will really is a master tradesman. For anyone interested in numbers Will has now put a total of 1,231 hours into the Zed fortunately his charge out rate is very reasonable. The Buick arrived in Will's workshop about 18 months before the Zed and it really was a basket case, it's had a body off chassis rebuild it's now finished and good to go off to it's owner, if you think Will put a lot of time into the Zed the Buick soaked up 3,000 man hours and like the Zed is brand new again.

Hi All We were at the PI Nats in 07 and had a great time even won the bottle of coolant for the greatest distance traveled, we raised a few eyebrows for entering a dedicated track car in concourse but also got a lot of support for doing it, our attitude is if we're prepared to travel across the country for a car event then we should embrace that event totally and enter everything we possibly can. There has been a huge amount of time effort and $$ oops sorry I meant $$$$ go into this rebuild and Whittie and I feel gutted that we won't be able to present Whittie's new Zed to you at PI because we really only have one opportunity to present the car in concourse condition before it becomes battle scared from track competition but as they say in the classics....That's The Way The Mercedes Bendz. This decision has taken a lot of pressure off so we can now finish he car properly without feeling rushed, we were quietly confident of placing in the concourse but of course now we will never know but we will take lots of pics and attempt to get the car featured in a mag or two before it hits the track in anger. I'd like to wish the NDSOC committee all success with the PI meet and assure you we will be there in spirit and look forward to seeing lots of pics of the event. Dad

Hi all It's taken a while to create a secure weather proof environment that is Council complaint where Whittie and I can get a clear run at putting the Zed back together without losing an hour or so in set up and put away time each time we look at it, I have now achieved that so there is no holding us back now. I have been playing with cars for the last 45 years and have had a number of both good and bad, fast and slow ones in that time and have put more than I care to remember up on jack stands but I have never experienced what I did today. The Zed chassis was really pretty flexible when we bought it but tightened up noticeably when we had the cage fitted it was easy to get onto four jack stands with each taking weight thereby providing a secure platform to work on, today I went through my normal process in jacking the car up and when finished I gave the car my usual security check shake and found it was only sitting on three stands so jacked up the free corner and to my amazement found it only required 10mil to take weight. Wow if we have ever been in doubt about about the benefit of the time Will has put inti this car those doubts have been dispelled right here, I can't weight to get this thing back onto the race track. I have been working on front indicator light placement and have looked at pics of UK and US cars and have settled on mounting the lights behind the grill to avoid cutting into it, the cardboard is to protect us from the exposed ag concrete floor when working under the car. Dad

Hi all I think Zed cars are still ridiculously undervalued and great value for money which is partly why I put my son Whittie into one as his first car which he and I are now restoring, http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,6991.0.html a little bit of wool pulling in mother's direction was required at acquisition time because it was race prepared and not an ideal daily driver When I look at the prices being achieved for Aussie Muscle Cars I can't help thinking that they are ridiculously over valued existing in an extremely narrow parochial market whereas the Zed cars are being valued globally. I took a look at RedBook recently which shows that when the 240Z and 260Z cars were being sold new in this country they were dearer than the big three local sports/coupe cars. Here's the RedBook price comparison in descending order:- 1971 240Z $4,666.00 1978 260Z $12,500.00 1971 Falcon XY 351GT HO $4,625.00 1978 Cobra Coupe Special $10,100.00 1971 Holden Monaro 350GTS $4,281.00 1978 Monaro 350GTS 4 Door $9,306.00 1971 Valiant Charger R/T 265 $3,745.00 1978 Valiant Charger 770CL $8,038.00 The pricing of Zed cars at the time was in no small part a product of Australia's protectionist policies but you don't have to be an engineer to recognize that overhead cam is better than push rods, 5 speed transmission is better than three or four and 4 wheel independent McPherson strut suspension beats wish bones, torsion bars and live rear axle leaf springs every day. Japan seams to have been playing catchup forever with the value of it's old cars but I'm thinking that may be coming to an end with $500,000.00 being the going rate for a Toyota 2000 GT, I accept that's a rare care but it's not all that far removed from our Zeds and our numbers are decreasing.

We got rid of a recon pair a couple of weeks ago unfortunately You have PM

Things are progressing steadily, the seats are done and back in storage, I'm currently checking all bolts and where a shorter length one can substitute the original it's being fitted, in all cases so far I'm saving between 10 and 20mm thread length per bolt in the end it could add up to a kilo or more of weight saving. We have previously had trouble with the top diff mount (strap) and actually broke a mustache bar once because of excess movement so modified the mount in an effort to solve the problem, it seams to work but really is a boy scout fix, Whittie and I discussed fabricating a top mount to replace the strap but instead Whittie turned to the net and found a great looking mount in the US interestingly shipping was the same for two as one so he bought an extra one which he will now sell off but I'm sure he'll post about that elsewhere later. The mounts arrived today (sure feels like Xmas round here right now) I was initially concerned at the weight so while the cook wasn't in I took out the kitchen scales and weighed them and to my delight the new robust no nonsense mount is a mere 200gms heavier than our current one Here's our stock mount with the boy scout mod Here's the new no nonsense one and a link to the manufacturer http://www.technoversions.com/DiffMountHome.html

Todays exercise involved fitting the race seats so because the car is regularly double entered at events and both drivers have different seating positions we decided a solid mount wouldn't work we decided on using stock rails so the seats are easily adjustable unfortunately this is not a straight bolt up and required some fashioning and glassing but the end result is relatively low mounted seats allowing a greater range of movement than the previous drivers seat provided. Because the stock rails only lock on one side we have used two sets of rails on each seat so that now both sides lock the downside to that is it takes two hands to move the seat, I will work on a solution to that in time but it's not currently a priority. If I can get a bit done each day remain focussed and avoid posting silly cartoons we should be finished in plenty of time for the Nationals

Thanks for your comments, we have considered the issue of retained water but as the guard and rust proofing is effectively brand new we consider the addition of foam will actually extend the life of the rust protection, without question a shroud would do a better job but an aim of this rebuild is weight reduction a metal shroud would be quite heavy and a plastic one is beyond our ability to fashion also the foam and adhesive will only add 25grams per side. The purpose of the foam is purely stone damage protection not noise control we had star dents in the guards before the rebuild caused by (kitty litter) stones being thrown up by sticky tyres on various race tracks we have found Phillip Island to be one of the worst and other than a shake down locally it's likely to be the cars first event. We accept that once the car hits the track it's condition will only go one way but a gradual decline and absence of solid objects is preferable.

Here's a pic of the inside of the front guard you can see roll on the lip and the coating of body sealer which I'm not convinced will stop stone damage At the recentl Zed Register day Wittie and I noticed a professionally prepared tarmac rally 260Z had foam under the guards so I figure if it's good enough for a professionally built car there must be good reasoning behind it so am sticking dense 12mm foam directly onto the rust proofing body deadener that's already there.

When the dent man was here I noticed some fine over spray so gave it a fifteen minute once over with my over spray clay and bingo all gone. I'm concerned that the guards will cop more damage if they're left on while the car is reassembled so have decided to remove and store all front panels until it's going again. Time to get serious about getting this rocket going again This will bring a smile to Tom's face Need to find a safe place for these now

Well the house renos are just about done so I recon it's time to get back into the Zed but the elbow dents on the front guards have been getting to me so I made an executive decision and called the paintless dent remover. Watching these blokes work is truly amazing they gently push and prod with their levers and bingo dent gone. The first pics don't accurately show the sharp lines in the dents because there was too much light but they're gone and I feel way better now We know the car will go downhill once it hits the track again but we want it unblemished for the NDSOC Nationals next year so it's guards off untill it's going and tuned. Dad

Let the Reassembly Begin Sorry Whittie but while you're away admiring Kimberley Sunsets I got the honor of turning the first spanner I got sick of the front wheels having a mind of their own whenever I need to move the car and not wanting to be responsible for inflicting the first scratch I decided to fit the steering rack but first it received the detail and paint treatment. Agno in answer to your post as you can see from this first small step everything will be striped and zinc plated where required before being repainted and refitted using new or re zinc plated bolts but there won't be a chrome bolt in sight. To get this car where Whittie wants it in the Elite pavilion at Motorvation and in concourse at the NDSOC PI Nationals, everything has to be done right so for the integrity of the reassembly they are good goals. May opt for shorter bolts here after all weight reduction is the goal. DAD

I think the guys are being a bit harsh on you, because you will get at least one of your three wishes possibly two but definitely not all three. This 240 appears to be going and you may get it for $10k http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/datsun-240z-1973-12806418?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=4&eapi=2&__N=1246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%204294966408%201216&silo=Stock&Range=Price:Min,Max~1&sort=default This 260 also appears to be going and you will get it within budget http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/datsun-260z-1976-12872709?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=0&eapi=2&__N=1246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%204294966410%201216&silo=Stock&Range=Price:Min,Max~1&sort=default And 2+2s are relatively easy to find at your price http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/datsun-260z-1976-12548660?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=1&eapi=2&__N=1246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%204294966410%201216&silo=Stock&Range=Price:Min,Max~1&sort=default

Q: Is the mica just a metallic or something else A: Mica flakes act like tiny prisms, refracting white light into different colors. With mica automotive paint, the vehicle takes on different shades from different angles. Metallic automotive paint, on the other hand, uses small flakes of aluminum to reflect light. This gives the finish shine and sparkle, but the color looks the same from all angles. Hey tbscobraZ Your's was an innocent enough question which triggered a detailed response but I guess you weren't to know Tom has "THE KNACK" click this link and you'll understand

I'm a bit surprised by the reaction from some people here to the colour Tom has chosen for his car, personally I think it's hot and will be one of the best looking Zeds in the country when it's back together, I'm sure the comments regarding stone chipping and colour matching are well meant and are taken that way however they are things that have been considered and with that in mind Will has a bit over a litre of the paint left over for touch up purposes. Tom and I have campaigned the Zed extensively in WA at Wanneroo, Collie, Albany and Northam round the houses street circuits as well as a host of hill climb and special stage events, interstate we have competed at Phillip Island in Vic and Eastern Creek, Oran Park and Bathurst in NSW, of all those events the only track that gives us cause for stone chipping concern is Phillip Island because of the size of the kitty litter and the ease with which it is drawn onto the track when cars run wide. From all the events we have done to date apart from polishing off rubber marks the only touch up work required has been to the bottom of the guards in fact in WA sand blasting is more of an issue than stone chipping. I recently sold my Toyota Supra that I have campaigned a lot over the past 10 years in WA including tarmac rallies and a Rally Australia special stage where I had the car airborne over the fly over as well as events at Oran Park and Bathurst, at the Oran Park event a fellow competitor asked me if regularity was for show cars I said no it's not but thanks for the compliment. Over this time I did pick up some gravel rash and touched up a few stone chips but from a mitre away the car looked like new so my experience is that with a little care running the car where we do will not destroy the paint. I've attached a couple of pics of the Supra in it's last events. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/Tommo560/DSC_0141.jpg[/img]] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/Tommo560/OranPark2009.jpg[/img]] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/Tommo560/P1010127.jpg[/img]]

The clay bar that Rev is talking about in known as over spray clay in Aus and it works a treat with Windex. Trade paint suppliers should have it or possibly Repco it comes in about three grades, it starts out looking like a cake of soap but as you use it and it picks up grit you will get best results by continually folding it in on itself, it should be stored in an air tight container or plastic bag. It really is unbelievable the first time you see it in use.

Hi DevilZ I'm in a similar situation to you just not with a Zed (Whittie lets me share his so long as I don't beat him too often) I have a low k mint condition Mkiv TT targa top Supra that I've subtly modified to suite my requirements, I recently considered selling it but before advertising it I did on the Supra forums what you're doing here and I didn't particularly like the feed back I got but it was honest so I must respect it. I thought the car was worth low to mid 30's but the forum people said based on recent sales evidence I should expect low to mid 20's the really interesting thing to come out of it was that if I removed all the performance and bling mods and took the car back to stock the price remained ~ the same but the sale value of parts would take my total return up to what I considered to be the car's value, fortunately I have kept all the stock items. So now to your car, if we say the market value for your car based on recent sales evidence is low to mid 20's, what items can be removed without affecting the price? A near new stroker motor has real value but it appears not to be adding value to your car so a swap to a less expensive motor may not effect the sale price, likewise a stock or cheaper brake and suspension package also a stock drive line and possibly stock wheels. Of course you could always arrive at the same conclusion I did and say "Stuff yous all I'm keeping it" park the car in the garage, plug in the battery maintenance charger and go and have a beer in the knowledge that you have an appreciating asset. BTW.....Recently I spent several days at a truck wash removing kilos of solidified fish oil from assorted nooks and crannies in Whittie's Z in preparation for it's rotisserie experience and as it happened, the truck wash owner has a similar age Falcon GT, when he noticed the Z's independent rear suspension he asked how difficult it was to fit and was amazed when I told him it was standard (I guess he thought all 70's car had cart springs in the rear) he was even more amazed when I told him that new the Datsun 260Z cost more than his Falcon Good Trier. Your car presents extremely well, good luck with the sale. John

Hi Rev John here, the Dad component of Whittie’s DADSON team, I’ve just spent the last day and a half covered from head to toe in grease and crap from removing four litres of rust preventative grease and half a bucket of tar from Whittie’s English delivered Zed…..It had better be worth it. As you know I referred a friend to you who is looking to buy a sports car and likes the idea of a Zed he is one of your genuine buyers but sadly I don’t think he will be buying yours. If you were to offer an item for sale at offers over $5,000 you should reasonably expect to attract buyers with a price expectation of $4,500 to $5,500 which represents a range of 10% so it follows that when offering something as you are at offers over $20,000 you should expect to attract buyers with a price expectation of $18,000 to $22,000. Rev, I’ll buy your car in a heart beat for $20,000, so I guess that now makes four genuine buyers but you have told me that your minimum is $25,000 which is 25% away from your indicated price, at that price I’m not a buyer and it appears your three genuine buyers are not either. I think you could save yourself and prospective purchasers a lot of time and grief and achieve a sale sooner by adjusting your price to offers over $25,000 which is by no means a ridiculous price, then at least new enquirers will have a similar price expectation to you. Good luck with the sale. John